Dushanbe, Tajikistan, September 17, 2021 — To mark the 30th anniversary of Central Asian independence, the Go Viral Network and the five U.S. Diplomatic Missions in Central Asia are proud to announce the winners of their regional contest: Next30 — Young Leaders of Central Asia, which aims to identify 30 emerging leaders in Central Asia.
Through the Next30 contest, Go Viral sought to identify Central Asia’s top young leaders, born since 1991, who represent the region’s future for the next 30 years. A regional panel reviewed over 724 applications from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan from candidates in the fields of business, media, culture, technology, and civil society.
After a very competitive process, the regional panel selected 30 winners from across Central Asia who will travel to the United States in 2022 to meet American experts and innovators in media, business, culture, and technology.
The 6 Tajik winners are:
- Rizoi Bakhromzod, a young scientist and astrophysicist
- Takhmina Khakimova, a digital storyteller and co-founder of @Grain.TJ
- Farrukh Umarov, co-founder of the skills accelerator Ilmhona
- Nafisa Imronova, designer and founder of the brand ZHIWJ
- Karina Burykh, founder of the Business School of Dushanbe
- Sitora Sufijonova, a community activist and student
Go Viral and the U.S. Embassy in Dushanbe also congratulate Tajikistan’s semi-finalists who were recognized as members of the “Top 100 Young Leaders of Central Asia.” Tajikistan’s “Top 100” members including Nasiba Mirzoeva, Jomi Toirizoda, Manizha Juraeva, Umed Rahimov, Nilufar Muradova, Azam Mirzonajotov, Muhammadjon Sharipov, Manizha Makhmadieva, Sherzod Sattori, Anisa Sabiri, Rafoel Gulov, Anora Kurbanova, Muhammad Mirzoev, and Adiba Dusmatova.
Instagram videos produced by our Next30 winners and semi-finalists, expressing their vision for the future of Central Asia, can be viewed under the hashtag #Next30Top100.
Through the end of the year, Go Viral will also post video profiles highlighting the incredible stories of all of our semi-finalists and winners. Follow GoViralTJ on Instagram and Facebook to watch all of these videos coming soon.
